Gadget Report
October 14th, 2004
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PC World
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Electronics made fun again. Reports on the hottest new gadgets,
including the latest high-tech products making their way from Japan.
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October 14th, 2004
Tokyo Edge: New Choices in Digital Entertainment
Martyn Williams
Tokyo Bureau Chief IDG News Service
Convergence has been a buzzword for some time, but a few products are
starting to deliver on the promise. The new entry this month, Sharp's
new PC-TX26GS, combines PC power with home theater capabilities and
appearance.
For more portable entertainment, new handheld music devices are coming
from several vendors, along with a sleek and updated Sony PlayStation.
Also new in Asia are a 600GB hard-disk video recorder and a storage
device aimed at digital photographers. Several of these new products
will make their way into international markets as well.
Sharp PC-TX26GS AV Center PC
Sharp's new PC-TX26GS may finally be the PC that you'll welcome to
your living room. The computer looks like a digital video recorder and
its companion monitor so resembles a television that most people
probably wouldn't believe it's a PC. But, in fact, it's a fully
functioning Microsoft Windows XP computer that includes several
multimedia functions, among them a TV tuner and digital video
recorder.
Among its noteworthy features is the lack of digital rights management
in the video recording function. That means you can access MPEG-1
video files from other PC applications and from other computers on the
same network. This is welcome after the lockdown policy of some
consumer electronics makers.
Also worth noting is the price. At $3155 for the set (or $2699 for a
version with half the memory and no Microsoft Office XP) it's
competitive with Sharp's own Aquos LCD TV, before you factor in the PC
and digital video recording function.
But the PC-TX26GS is not without its faults: Both the TV and video
recorder functions run under Windows XP, which means users face a wait
of up to 1 minute for the operating system to boot every time they
switch on the TV. Sharp solved this problem in an earlier notebook PC
by adding a TV subsystem based on embedded Linux that could deliver a
TV picture in less than 10 seconds, and it seems a shame that the same
technology wasn't put to use in this PC.
The PC side of Sharp's system is based on an Intel Celeron D processor
running at 2.66 GHz and Windows XP Home Edition SP2. It has 512MB of
memory that can be expanded up to 2GB, a 250GB hard drive, and a DVD
drive that reads and writes DVDR and RW and DVD-RAM discs. The
digital video function enables users to record television broadcasts
onto the hard drive for later viewing. The drive can hold up to 119
hours of video in standard-quality mode, although in practice this is
reduced because some drive space is taken up by Windows and other PC
files.
The TV-like display is capable of WXGA resolution (1366 by 768
pixels). This is suitable for high-definition broadcasts, and a tuner
for such services is available as an option. However, the PC-TX26GS
cannot record high-definition programs. The system comes with a
wireless keyboard and a remote control.
The PC-TX26GS is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in the middle of
December, just as Japanese workers are receiving their year-end bonus,
and Sharp no doubt hopes it will prove irresistible to people with a
fistful of cash to spend. However, Sony has no plans to sell it
overseas.
For more on the Sharp PC-TX26GS, read "Sharp Puts Its PC in the Living
Room":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755899/0/
For more on the Sharp Aquos LCD TV, read "Sharp TVs Add Recording,
Portability":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755900/0/
Toshiba Gigabeat F-Series Audio Player
Toshiba has updated its Gigabeat hard-disk music player with three new
models that offer capacities of 10GB, 20GB, or 60GB.
The exterior design of the Gigabeat players have been revised to sport
a 2.2-inch QVGA (240-by-320-pixels) color LCD and a navigation button
that looks like a large "plus" sign in the center of the player's
front panel. Images, such as album art, can be uploaded to display
when songs are playing. The devices play MP3, Windows Media Audio, and
WAV files--but the files must pass through Toshiba's "Gigabeat Room"
software, which is available only for Windows XP or Windows 2000. For
now, Mac and Linux users are out of luck.
The players are scheduled to go on sale in Japan in late November. The
10GB MEGF10 model will cost $358 and the 20GB MEGF20 model will cost
$403. Toshiba expects to release the 60GB MEGF60 model in Japan in
early December, pricing it at $583. Toshiba anticipates marketing the
players in the U.S. and Europe beginning in early 2005.
For more information, read "Toshiba Readies 60GB Gigabeat":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755901/0/
Seiko Epson P-2000 Photo Player
Most snap-happy digital photographers would probably consider Seiko
Epson's P-2000 a welcome addition to their camera bag.
This gadget features a 40GB hard drive that you can use to store
images from memory cards. That means you don't have to worry about
running out of card space or carry a notebook along--just insert the
memory card into the P-2000, transfer the images, clear the card, and
start shooting again.
It's compatible with CompactFlash, MultiMediaCard, and Secure Digital
media, as well as MicroDrive storage. The P-2000 has a 3.8-inch
display for viewing JPEG images and also RAW-format image files from
several Nikon and Canon cameras and Epson's R-D1.
The 40GB capacity is enough to store about 5000 RAW-format images and
up to 10,000 5-megapixel JPEG images, according to Seiko Epson
representatives. The P-2000 Photo Player is scheduled to become
available in Japan in late October priced just under $545. The company
has no immediate plans to sell it overseas.
Sony Clie PEG-VZ90 PDA
Sony may have scaled back its PDA sales in the U.S. market, but the
company is still releasing new models in Japan.
Next up is the PEG-VZ90, which looks a little different from previous
models. The PDA is square in shape and has a landscape-format display
with seven buttons underneath it on the front panel. The device runs
Palm OS 5.2.1 and comes with 64MB of memory and an additional 90MB of
storage space.
The screen has 480-by-320-pixel resolution and is an organic light
emitting diode, which Sony says is brighter, thinner, and more
responsive than screens used on previous models. The PEG-VZ90 supports
QuickTime, MPEG-1, and MPEG-4 video files, and audio compressed in the
ATRAC3 and MP3 formats.
It's on sale now in Japan and costs about $854.
Toshiba RD-X5 Video Recorder
When it comes to digital video recorders, hard drive capacity is one
of the most important specifications. It determines how many of your
favorite TV shows and movies can be stored before you are forced to
start writing them to DVDs to free up space. In this respect,
Toshiba's RD-X5 won't disappoint. The new video recorder packs a 600GB
hard drive, which Toshiba says can accommodate up to 1071 hours of
video when image and sound quality are set at the lowest-quality
setting of 1.4 megabits per second. The RD-X5 can also record to
DVD-RAM at 5X, DVD-RW at 4X, and DVD-R at 8X.
Toshiba expects to begin selling the RD-X5 in Japan in November priced
at $1529. The company has not yet determined plans for overseas sales.
Sony NW-HD2 Network Hard Disk Walkman
Sony has given its hard-disk-based Network Walkman some design tweaks
and a lower price, although none of the NW-HD2's changes are likely to
excite.
The most obvious change is the expanded range of colors available.
Sony's choice of hues--silver, blue, and pink--appears to be a nod to
the success of Apple Computer's IPod Mini. Blue and pink just happen
to be among the most popular IPod Mini colors in Japan. Sony also
changed the backlight color used in the Network Walkman's 1.5-inch LCD
from green to blue. The player can now be charged from the power cord
by using a small interface adapter, which means you don't have to take
the larger cradle with you on a trip or vacation, and the new version
lacks an in-line remote control.
Some features haven't changed, such as the Network Walkman's 20GB hard
drive and its limitation of playing only Sony's proprietary ATRAC3
compression format. That still leaves users having to convert their
MP3 files prior to uploading into the NW-HD2.
The most welcome news for buyers might be the lower price: $360. The
Network Walkman going on sale in early October, but Sony currently has
no plans to sell it overseas.
For more information, read "Sony Redesigns Network Walkman":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755902/0/
Sony PlayStation 2
Sony Computer Entertainment has redesigned its PlayStation 2, and what
a difference a few years of technology development makes.
The new PS2 occupies about 25 percent of the volume of the original
model and looks much cooler than its predecessor. The slim model
measures 9 inches tall by 6 inches wide by 1.12 inches deep, and is
compatible with all current PS2 games.
A network port for online gaming is now standard, and models sold in
the U.S. also have an analog modem port. It is scheduled for release
in the U.S. in November priced at $150.
For more on the PS2, read "Sony Shows Slim, Trim PlayStation 2":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755903/0/
For more on online gaming, read "Gamers to Get Wired":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755904/0/
NTT DoCoMo Fuel Cell Recharger
As the most intriguing upcoming technology, consider a new cell phone
charger that runs on a direct methanol fuel cell.
Cellular carrier NTT DoCoMo designed the charger in its research and
development laboratories in collaboration with fuel-cell-developer
Fujitsu Laboratories. At present, a single fuel cell can provide
enough power to recharge a cell phone battery once. The companies are
working to increase this to three full charges. Representatives of the
two firms estimate that development will be completed before March
2005, and expect a commercial version of the product to hit the market
shortly after that.
The eventual goal is to develop a fuel cell that can be used directly
in a telephone, but that will require some miniaturization work. The
initial step is a partial realization of that effort, and will allow
recharging in places where there are no electric sockets. Many
consumer electronics companies are working on DMFCs, which are
expected to become an important power technology for mobile devices in
the second half of this decade.
For more information, read "Bye-Bye, Batteries?":
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/755905/0/
Read Martyn Williams' regularly published "Tokyo Edge" columns:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/249979/21421684/364231/0/
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